1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to physical restraints and braces. In particular, this invention relates to the field of cervical restraints for infants and small children.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a person suffers a traumatic neck or spinal injury it is often necessary to immobilize the person""s head and neck so as to prevent further injury. Devices designed to perform this function in adults often are not suitable for use on infants and toddlers. Problems with existing restraints include: an inability to adjust to fit small children, adjustment means that are difficult to operate, devices that are not easily washable and reusable, and the fact that existing devices do not provide support sufficient to align the cervical spine and open an infants airway.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,325 is typical of the prior art in this area. The ""325 invention teaches of a strip of resistantly-resilient material which is of a length such that the ends of the material overlap when the material is encircled around a wearer""s neck. The ""325 invention also has several straps which secure they collar to a support such as a spine board, but are not used to fasten the collar around the wearer""s neck. The present invention is a neck restraint of a uniform width that, unlike the device of the ""325 patent, has a height between the chin and the collar bone which can be adjusted according to the size of the patient. The present invention also has a means of supporting the patient""s back and thereby aligning the cervical spine and opening the infant""s airway, a feature which is lacking from the ""325 patent. The present invention is constructed with flexible materials which facilitate the cleaning and reuse of the restraint, a feature which is also not present in the ""325 patent. Finally the present invention is specifically designed to fit toddlers and infants unlike the neck support apparatus described in the ""325 patent.
Other inventions which attempt to restrain the neck after an injury, such as the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,777, require that the head of a patient be sandwiched between pillow-like lobes. These types of inventions differ from the present invention in that they require that a patient be affixed to a spine board or be lying on their backs in order to function properly as a neck restraint. Also these inventions are not easily washable and reusable, do not open airways or align the cervical vertebrae, and are not adjustable to the sizes needed for small children.
There are a number of prior art inventions, such as the apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,908, that restrain the neck by holding the head of a patient to a spine board or other, inflexible support. The inflexible support found in these inventions makes these devices more costly, harder to clean and reuse, impossible to adjust to fit small children and require more storage space, which is an important consideration in cramped environments, such as in an ambulance.
There are a number of patents directed to pediatric immobilization devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,520. These devices seek to miniaturize preexisting restraint devices. They do not, however, incorporate the novel features of a flexible, adjustable neck restraint, convenient storage and back support found in the present invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a infant emergency neck restraint solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The present invention is an infant emergency neck restraint which functions to restrain the motion of a small child""s head and neck after the child has suffered a spinal injury, so as to prevent further injury before treatment can be applied. The invention has a flat rectangular sheet made of fabric with a front, back, top, bottom and two sides. Two straps with a slit parallel to and extending between the straps extend from opposite sides of the sheet. The straps are positioned closer to the top portion of the sheet than the bottom portion. When in use, depending on the size of the child""s neck to be supported, either the top or the bottom portion of the sheet is rolled up to the nearest set of straps. The thickness of the roll also depends on the size of the child""s neck to be supported. The rolled sheet is then placed behind the child""s neck. The ends of the roll are then folded in on themselves, forming a U-shaped support between the infant""s jaw and clavicle line, and fastened together in front of the child""s throat with one pair of straps. The unrolled portion of the sheet can then be folded under the child""s shoulders to provide a shoulder roll support in order to align the cervical spine and open the child""s airway.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide emergency cervical support to small children and infants.
It is another object of the invention to provide an adjustable, flexible emergency cervical support to small children and infants.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cervical support to infants and children that is washable and storable in a minimum of space.
It is still another object of this invention to provide support to the shoulders of infants and toddlers sufficient to align the cervical spine and open airways.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.